POEM : THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattlesmade;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comesdropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day,
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

William Butler Yeats

Biography of The Poet

William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) was both a prolific poet and a dramatist. He wrote the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" in 1892. The poem is a literary marvel which touches on the human psyche and inner thoughts. Yeats brought out the inner drive of individuals for peace and quiet. 

Yeats produced remarkable literary works which are still appreciated and have special places in the hearts and mind of readers and literary enthusiasts. He was honoured with the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923. The award was to mark his tireless efforts to produce world-class literary works that touched the people and literary communities throughout the world. Although Yeats died in 1939, his literary works live on and are appreciated by people throughout the world.

General Introduction  

 Poets are generally interested in putting across their ideas through their poems. At times, they wish to express what humans long for. They this by bringing out the inner desires or intentions based on their experiences. They wish to share their perceptions and experiences, thier inner feelings and desires with people or their readers. They used words to bring out the human dimensions and inner feelings. These are rich experiences that make readers become aware of some issues or concerns.

In the poem, The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William  Butler Yeats, the persona makes some observations and expresses his inner feelings and what he wants in life. The persona shares his or her feelings or concerns.

Subject of The Poem

The poem relates to a place called the Lake Isle of Innisfree. The subject of the poem is the beautiful Lake Isle of Innisfree. The place is a sanctuary where one can escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. The placer offers various attractions and is unique.

Themes of The Poem

The theme of the poem relates to the general idea or ideas running throughout the poem. A poem may have one or more theme depending on the subject of the poem the persona deals with and the experiences the persona undergoes and inner desires of the persona. There are several themes in the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree". The themes are:

• The need for peace and quiet
• The need for preservation of nature
• The inner drive for freedom and harmony
• To be part and parcel of nature
• To appreciate nature's wonders
• To escape the hustle and bustle of city life
•  To be forward-looking or having a vision in life

Tone of The Poem

The tone of the poem refers to the feelings, attitudes, perceptions, experiences and inner drives of the persona It also relates to the mood of the persona (angry, sad, upset, disappointed, regretful, sarcastic, etc.) These feelings, attitudes and perceptions are expressed either directly or indirectly. The persona appreciates the wonders of nature and longs to be with nature.

In "The Lake Isle of Innisfree", the persona feels a strong urge to get away from his present place in the city to the Lake Isle of Innisfree. He wants to enjoy peace and quiet, and be close with nature. He wishes to leave for the sanctuary immediately. The persona says:

"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree"
"I hear it in the deep heart's core" 

The persona is hopeful and looks forward to enjoying life with  nature. He wants to do a lot of things. He wants to build a small cabin, plant rows of beans, live in bee-loud glade, see the wonders of nature such as the dropping snow, watch birds and insects, and see the beautiful days and nights.

He wants to find harmony by enjoying peace, hear the cricket sings and linnets fly. He wants to listen to lake water lapping.

The poet is optimistic and believes that there is a greater meaning to live in the lake Isle of Innisfree than to be in his present state. The poem teaches us to be forward-looking and have a vision in life.

Moral Values

The poem deals with nature and the environment. The persona looks forward to find peace and quiet in the Lake Isle of Innisfree. The persona accepts the place as a paradise.

From the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" we learn that it is important to appreciate nature. Nature has many wonders to offer but as human beings we take them for granted.

We must learn to be close to nature and enjoy its beauty. We must take time to be in places where we are able to find peace and quiet. This will make our lives less stressful, harmonious and very meaningful. The poem also teaches us to preserve nature (the environment). We should be proud of the natural heritage.

Language

Poets use language to make the presentation of the poem more interesting. They use language to engage the readers senses' and imagination. Poets use different styles to express their ideas, feelings, experiences, and inner drives.

Style refers to the unique features of a peace of poem, which differ from other poems. Poets use a particular style which allows them to get readers to be interested and appreciate their poems. In "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" the poet (William Butler Yeats) makes use of three stanzas to express his feelings and share his dreams or expectations in life.

In "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" the poet uses the following words, phrases or sayings that are commonly used. The poet also uses imagery (words, phrases or expressions) which works on our senses. Our senses are engaged through the use of particular imagery and we, as the readers, feel the experiences, as if we too are part of the experiences or events. We also feel the emotions or moods of the persona, as we read the poems.

Let's look at how the poet uses language to work on our senses:
 
Imagery              :  Words and phrases used in the "The Lake Isle of  Innisfree"
Sense of Sight    :  'a small cabin' 'clay and wattles' 'bean-rows' 'hive for honey bee' 'glade' 'snow'
                              'cricket' 'midnight' 'noon' 'purple' 'evening' 'glimmer' 'linnet's wings'
                              'night and day' 'lake water' 'shore' 'roadway' 'pavements' 'grey'
Sense of hearing : 'bee-loud glade' 'cricket sings' 'linnet's wings' 'water lapping' 'hear it in the deep
                               heart's core'
Sense of smell     : 'honey'
Sense of taste       : 'honey'
Sense of touch     : 'clay' 'wattles' 'veils of the morning'

The poet uses words and phrases to make us share the experiences. He uses words that show determination and seriousness. He says:

"I will arise and go now...."
"I hear it..."

He also repeats the phrase "I will arise and go now..." which further shows that he is very determined to go to Innisfree. He also uses the word 'hear' twice to show that he is listening to the sound of nature, as if he is already in Innisfree.

The poet uses figurative language. Figurative language is the use of words and phrases (words, phrases or saying which provide a mental picture, and often give different meanings from the usual use). Some of these words and phrases make comparisons.

Figurative language used in the poem appears in the form of:
"bee-loud glade", "peace comes dropping slow", "veils of the morning", "midnight's all a glimmer", "noon a purple glow", "the  cricket sings" and "evening full of linnet's wings". These phrases make the poem comes alive and make the readers imagine how the place looks like.

The poet uses words that give us information on the environment. Snow (white), midnight's a glimmer (the sky is full of stars), noon a purple glow (the sight of purple flowers in the afternoon).

There is also mention of the time of the day: now (at a particular moment), midnight, noon, evening, night and day. The poet uses these words to tell us that the place is beautiful all the time and he wishes to go to the place at once or immediately.

In Stanza One, the persona has the urge to go to Innisfree and enjoy the beauty of the place. He wants to build a small cabin to stay,  start a small farm and keep a hive of honey-bees. He wishes to be alone.

In Stanza Two, the persona wishes to experience the wonders of nature, see and feel the snow, watch the fauna and flora, and enjoy the beautiful mornings, evenings, afternoons, and midnights.

In the third stanza, the persona feels the strong pull of nature and wants to be at the lake to hear the water lapping. The persona is in the city but feels that Innisfree is very close to his heart.

The poet uses Innisfree as a symbol. In literature, symbols relate to the use of objects, animals or human experiences or socio-cultural aspects to  mean something. The eagle is often seen as a symbol of freedom and strength. Red symbolises danger. Green would mainly refer to the environment.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree is used to show that there is a place for everyone to find peace and quiet. I allows people to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. It also allows one to be stress-free and take time to appreciate nature. Innisfree is the symbol of inner peace and freedom.

Glossary

arise - to occur as a result from a particular situation / wake up and go
cabin - a small house or shelter
clay - a type of heavy, sticky earth that becomes hard when it is baked and is used to make things such as pots and bricks
wattles - sticks twisted together as a material for  making fences, walls
hive - a structure made for bees to live in
bee-loud glade - a small open area of grass in a wood or forest
peace - a situation or a period of time in which there is no war or violence in a country
veils -  a thin layer that stops one from seeing something
glimmer - a faint unsteady light
linnet - a small brown and grey bird of the FINCH family
lapping - touching something gently and regularly, often making a soft sound
shore - the land along the edge of the sea or ocean
roadway - a road or the part of a road used by vehicles
pavements - a flat part of the side of a road for people to walk on
grey - having the colour of smoke or ashes
core - the most important or central part of something

Additional words
desires - strong wishes in a person to do something
urge - a strong desire or drive to do something
expectation - believe that something would  happen, hope for something
optimistic - a positive feeling that things would turn out well
paradise - a sanctuary or place where one can find peace and harmony
determination - a drive to do something to achieve a goal
natural heritage - the natural environment, the environment that we inherit